NHL On Tap: Red Wings try to solve road woes at Ducks

Welcome to the NHL On Tap. Three NHL.com writers will share what they are most looking forward to on the schedule each day. Today, their choices from the two games Sunday.

Red Wings need work on their road game

The Detroit Red Wings (16-16-3) have put together a solid season thus far and are fifth in the Atlantic Division, three points behind the fourth-place Boston Bruins. But the road has been a bane. Detroit is 4-11-1 away from Little Caesars Arena and looks for better road play when it visits the Anaheim Ducks (18-12-7) on Sunday (8 p.m. ET; BSSC, BSSD, BSDET+, ESPN+, NHL LIVE). The Red Wings lost 4-0 at the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday and scoring on the road has been a problem. They're 26th in the NHL with 37 goals scored on the road and have allowed the fourth most (67). The Red Wings have the chance to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season, but they need better results outside of Detroit to do so. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

Stars have own issues on road

The Dallas Stars must conjure their magic from home ice and take it on the road against the St. Louis Blues (2 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, BSMW, BSSW, NHL LIVE). The Stars are 13-3-1 at American Airlines Center, 12-1-0 since Nov. 13, but 4-9-1 on the road, where they've lost four straight. They travel to St. Louis where their Central Division rivals are 13-3-3 with points in 11 straight (10-0-1) at home, the Blues' longest run at Enterprise Center since also going 10-0-1 from Dec. 12, 2019 to Feb. 4, 2020. The ability of the Stars (17-12-2) to figure out what's ailed them away from Dallas will determine how far they climb from sixth place in the eight-team Central. They've shown they're capable by winning four in a row, including ending the Pittsburgh Penguins' 10-game winning streak with a 3-2 home victory Saturday. The Stars must somehow find a way to get it done outside their comfort zone. A win in St. Louis could be what they need to propel their ascent. -- Jon Lane, staff writer

Buchnevich looks to continue hot streak for Blues

Pavel Buchnevich is thriving in his first season with the Blues after being acquired from the New York Rangers in a trade July 23. The forward has scored 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in his past 10 games, spearheading a 7-2-1 run by the Blues over that span. The 29-year-old is coming off a three-point performance (two goals, one assist) in a 5-1 victory against the Washington Capitals on Friday, the first of a five-game homestand for St. Louis (20-10-5), and has scored 33 points (13 goals, 20 assists) in 32 games this season. Buchnevich is one of seven St. Louis skaters with at least 20 points (Jordan Kyrou, 34; Vladimir Tarasenko, 34; Ivan Barbashev, 28; Robert Thomas, 27; Ryan O'Reilly, 21; David Perron, 20). The Blues will try to showcase their balanced scoring against a Stars team on a four-game winning streak. -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

Sunday schedule

Dallas Stars at St. Louis Blues (2 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, BSMW, BSSW, NHL LIVE)
Stars forward Jason Robertson has a six-game point streak (three goals, six assists) after getting three assists against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, his third NHL game with at least three points. He had four assists against the Chicago Blackhawks on March 9, 2021, and two goals and one assist against the Detroit Red Wings on Nov. 16. Blues forward Jordan Kyrou has scored nine points (four goals, five assists) in a four-game point streak.
Detroit Red Wings at Anaheim Ducks (8 p.m. ET; BSSC, BSSD, BSDET+, ESPN+, NHL LIVE)
Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin has scored 10 points (six goals, four assists) in his past seven games. The Ducks are 1-3-2 in their past six after a 4-1 loss to the New York Rangers on Saturday. Anaheim has points in seven of its past eight games at Honda Center (3-1-3) and 23 points on home ice (10-2-3), tied for second with the Colorado Avalanche for most in the Western Conference since Oct. 31, one point behind the Stars.